Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

[Rusty Shackelford]

So I've played on and off for about 9 years, most of the time as a bass player. I feel adequate as a rhythm guitarist but never a lead player. Like anyone I want to get better at things and would like a few tips on how to solo. I figured someone here would help me out and I'd like to keep it here, I trust you as players. I have no interest in being like Malmsteen or Vai, just someone who can play a little bit of lead. The 3 new Green Day albums have really inspired me and I want to be able to play melodic stuff like that. My problem is I have a hard time doing things fast no matter how much I use a metronome and the like. I just need some good tips on how to build a solo

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

Buy the complete works of Chuck Berry, and play along with it constantly. The rest, you'll figure out on your own from there.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

Think of your solos as "conversations with the listener". Put the rhythms of your speech and your personality into your solos.

Listen to yourself when you talk to your friends and incorporate your flow and note choices into your playing. The Chuck Berry advice is good.

What I would do is learn the solos that inspire you, go on youtube, find a good samaritan that made a good lesson and hit it consistently.

Playing lead takes more practice than rhythm playing and can really tear your fingers up if you play too long.

My advice is to WARM UP before you start practicing. The practice sessions where I warm up first are muuuuch more fruitful than the ones where I barrel in and start hitting the hard stuff right away.

Start learning the easy stuff and work your way on up to the more difficult passages.

You'll gain a whole lot by learning the solos that make your heart beat faster because you don't know what you don't know right? The more you learn, the more you learn.

Oh and just from my username, I am not a master but am always seeking to learn more. I just thought you'd want a perspective from another "learner".

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

I want to be able to play melodic stuff

1. Learn the major scale in every key and every position. Learn it so well you no longer have to think about it.
2. Learn about intervals.
3. Obviously you already know plenty of chords - so learn how to play the corresponding arpeggios in all positions of the neck. Learn to find the arpeggio notes naturally so you are following the chord changes of the song when you solo wherever you are on the neck.
4. Learn how to apply both the major and minor pentatonic scales while following the chord changes of a song.
5. Learn about keys and chord function.
6. Use your knowledge of arpeggios and chord function and take it further by learning all the modes of the major scale. This will give you more tonal options when soloing over chord changes.
7. Learn the harmonic and melodic minor scales all over the neck.
8. Learn the modes of both minor scales and use them to follow chord changes in minor keys
9. Learn all the esoteric scales such as the whole tone, diminished and altered scales.
10. Keep practicing.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

or if you don't have that kind of time, play along with the radio

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

Find some songs you like that have melodic vocal lines. Learn the chords to the song and then learn to play the vocal melody. That will inspire you quickly. To broaden that lesson, learn to play that same melody in various positions on the neck.

Within days you'll be as good as me.

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

Thanks for all of the tips. My big thing is trying to pick apart vocal melodies. I'm not good at it whatsoever

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

Thanks for all of the tips. My big thing is trying to pick apart vocal melodies. I'm not good at it whatsoever

I'd just spend a lot of time playing along with CDs. In fact, it's the main reason I finally decided to start buying CDs instead of vinyl in about Y2K. Much easier to pick apart songs when using CDs. OTOH, those DJ turntables with digital pitch maintenance during tempo changes are also awesome learning tools. You can slow something down without changing the key if you have one of those, and you can also just manually turn the disc back to repeat something, without having to monkey with lifting and dropping the needle (which eats up your vinyl and your needle). And you can also adjust for the band being out of tune from the tuner you have tuned up with. Old songs are very often out of tune, because they just tuned to the piano in the studio, which may have drifted over the years. So, they are in tune with themselves, but not with your tuner.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

ya play along with songs, but learn the pentatonic blues and minor scales in every position on the fretboard

 

[Wattage]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

Checkout a program called Transcribe, it is a tremendous help when learning new things, it is from Seventh String Software.

Instead of trying to do everything, take one or 2 classic straight ahead solos like AC/DC You Shook Me All Night Long, Santana Black Magic Woman, Rolling Stones Can't You Hear Me Knocking. You Shook Me is a fave to teach people wanting learn Rock soloing. Most people can sing along with that solo they are so familiar with it and it is a masterpiece of the pentatonic scale. There are some lessons on youtube that are close enough to get you going. Stick with solos that are big and vocal for a while, so you can really hear them and practice them til no one near ever wants to hear them again. Then take it up a notch, go slowly there's no rush.

www.guitarinstructor.com has tons of lessons and they're dirt cheap and well worth the effort

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

Play every note on the neck in whatever phrasing appeals to you and chip away at the notes that don't sound right to you until it sounds perfect to your ears. Then add a couple of those 'wrong' notes back in to create tension. Solo done.

 

[Rodney Gene]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

1. Learn the major scale in every key and every position. Learn it so well you no longer have to think about it.
10. Keep practicing.

This. ^^^ This will teach you everything eventually.

Much Respect,

Rodney Gene, Austin Texas

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Masters of the Boards....Teach me to solo

This. ^^^ This will teach you everything eventually.

Much Respect,

Rodney Gene, Austin Texas

Most people do not even know where to look to learn the 8 scale positions ... it often requires a good music teacher.